No Mistaking The Signals Here.

Well, If This Just Isn't A ...... gigantic raspberry blown in the direction of Harrisburg, we sure don't know what is.
Tired of waiting for state lawmakers to act, Philadelphia city officials went off and passed their own versions of the gun laws that bullheaded legislators just flat out refuse to approve.Philly Mayor Mike Nutter, likening himself and the City Council to rebellious colonists, signed the bills into law yesterday. A blizzard of lawsuits is sure to follow."Almost 232 years ago, a group of concerned Americans took matters in
their own hands and did what they needed to do by declaring that the
time had come for a change," Nutter says in the pages of the Inky this morning. "We are going to make ourselves independent of the violence that's been taking place in this city for far too long."For those who have been keeping track, the new laws are familiar. They include limiting handgun purchases to one a month, requiring people to report lost or stolen guns to police within 24 hours, and prohibiting people under PFAs (protection from abuse orders) from possessing guns if a court orders it.Nutter said the city will begin enforcing the laws immediately, except for the one-gun-a-month rule, which takes effect in six months.At least two groups, the Pennsylvania Sportsmen's Association and the National Rifle Association are already revving up the litigation machinery. And even Philly's own lawmakers aren't tripping over themselves to offer support.State Rep. John Perzel, R-Philly, said through a spokesman that the laws are unconstitutional. State House Speaker Dennis O'Brien didn't return a call for comment. And state Sen. Vince Fumo declined to comment, the Inky reported.Rep. Dwight Evans, the Legislature's most vocal gun-control proponent, was lukewarm."No one ... feels the frustration of city leaders," more than Evans, so he wouldn't criticize them, spokeswoman Johnna Pro said.It's so on.

The rest of today's news starts after the jump.

No Gifts For You.State Sen. Jeff Piccola, R-Dauphin, is looking to end Harrisburg's time-honored practice of
lobbyist-paid meals, our friends at the Patriot-News report this morning.The suburban Harrisburg legislator wants his colleagues here to follow Congress' lead and enact a ban on gifts, meals and other entertainment from lobbyists to lawmakers, their staffs, the governor or executive branch officials.Right now, lobbyists only have to report "hospitality" spending in total. The recipients of such largess are only identified by name if there's an expenditure of $650 or more.Under that rule, lobbyists can take the same lawmakers to
dinner or rounds of golf repeatedly, assign the cost to
various clients and never trigger the disclosure
requirement, the P-N reported.And we should probably add that lawmakers routinely dine out on lobbyists' tab even though out-of-town lawmakers receive $152 per-diems to cover lodging and food expenses."Gifts given by lobbyists are given with an intent,
and that is to create a favored relationship," said
Common Cause's Barry Kauffman."When you eliminate the possibility of
gifts... it can level the playing field and help issues get
considered on their merits."We'll see how this one flies ... More Gaming News Than You Can Shake A Stick At.There's plenty going on this morning. So we'll dive right into it.
For openers, there's this Post-Gazette report that Attorney General Tom Corbett is probing former state Rep. Frank LaGrotta'sclaim that he and three other lawmakers received $5,000 checks from a company owned by embattled casino mogul Louis DeNaplesAccording to the P-G, LaGrotta told investigators that he received a check drawn on the account of D&L Realty, a firm co-owned by Louis and Dominick DeNaples.LaGrotta told
investigators the check was blank on the recipient line. It was signed by Dominick
DeNaples and was one of several handed out during a meeting in the office
of then-House Minority Whip Mike Veon, D-Beaver.Under state law, D&L, as a partnership, would have been
permitted to make campaign contributions, but investigators are
attempting to determine if any laws were broken because of how the
checks were distributed. The donations came before Louis DeNaples applied for a casino license, the P-G reported.Meanwhile ... .... the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is hitting back at claims that it's too secretive
with a new rule that would allow gaming board members to ask casino applicants questions at public hearings about matters otherwise considered confidential, the Associated Press reports this morning. Gaming regulators approved the preliminary rule on Thursday. Applicants would have the right to refuse to answer publicly, triggering a confidential hearing."If there is a way that we can
rebuff any criticism that there should be more openness, we will of
course try to do that," board Chairwoman Mary DiGiacomo Colins said after the gaming board's meeting yesterday.

That Comes Amid ....... a report this morning by the Tribune-Review that state Sen. Jane Earll, R-Erie, is looking to put together a bipartisan, bicameral task force to rewrite the state's creaky gaming laws."If we do this in a collaborative way, I'm more optimistic we can
get somewhere," Earll told the Trib. "To end up with meaningful reform it will take the
cooperation of the House and Senate Republicans and Democrats, and the
governor's office."Earll chairs the Senate committee with oversight of the gaming industry.

State Lawmakers Took Testimony ...... on a proposed constitutional amendment that limit marriage to heterosexual couples
yesterday, the Associated Press reports this morning. The session at the Allegheny County courthouse pretty much went as you might have expected it.In other words, the people who are against it, are still really against it for the same old reasons. And the people who are for it are still for it.To wit:"It
advances a single purpose – the preservation of Pennsylvania's marriage
policy as understood throughout the existence of the Commonwealth – by
reaffirming the legal definition of marriage," said Deborah Hamilton of
the coalition Pennsylvania for Marriage, reading a statement prepared
by the Utah-based Marriage Law Foundation.Acting as the voice of reason, here's Pittsburgh City Council President Doug Shields, who said the bill was "wrong for Pittsburgh and wrong for Pennsylvania," because the city had a history of protecting its residents from discrimination based of sexual orientation or gender identity.Shields also said the bill would trump a 12-year-old ordinance granting domestic partnership rights."We adopted our local anti-discrimination ordinance because we value all families," he said.

From The Campaign Trail.Our daily dose of non-presidential campaign news begins this morning with the news that
retiring U.S. Rep. John Peterson, R-5th District, has decided to endorse a successor among the 9,783 Republicans who are running to replace him. Capitolwire reports this morning that the lucky winner is Centre County GOP Chairman G.T. Thompson. Peterson makes his announcement at 11 a.m. Tune in and find out.In Erie's 6th House District, a local Democrat, Mike Baima, of Meadville, is waging a write-in campaign for the primary. The final tallies are in, and Democrats have a 10,000-voter registration edge over Republicans in Montgomery County. In central Pennsylvania's 33rd Senate District race, the Republican candidates answer some questions. The seven Republicans running in Cumberland County's 88th House District primary aren't much sold on light rail. And the state treasurer's race continues not to attract attention.Helping You Plan Your Weekend.Though we receive absolutely nothing for doing this other than the satisfaction of a job well done, we'll still pass along the news that this weekend's The Box Program on WHP-580 AM will take on taxes and tax reform. After all, next Tuesday is the deadline to offer your annual tithing to Uncle Sam. The show airs at 8 a.m., and is also available for download as one of them there podcasts the kids seem to like so much. In case you'd forgotten, the show is a production of the Commonwealth Foundation. And we should probably also note that it's been a while since they've asked us to be a guest. Not that we're keeping track ...

Where In The World Is Bob Casey? (TM)A long-running Capitol Ideas feature returns this morning to find Pennsylvania's junior United
States senator calling for a Government Accountability Office investigation into the rash of electrocution-related deaths of soldiers and civilian contractors in Iraq.Casey's action was prompted by the death of Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth of Shaler, Pa., who was electrocuted while taking a shower in his barracks."This is a troubling and serious problem that must be investigated and resolved to eliminate this avoidable danger," Casey said in a statement that managed at once to be clunky, redundant and poignant.

EdWatch (TM):HRC is still barnstorming the state. Natch, this means no public schedule for Gov. Ed.In The Blogosphere.Keystone Politics on the sleepy treasurer's primary; GrassrootsPA on Philly's gun laws; 2 Political Junkies throw a shout-out to someone named Bram (We have no idea who this is. We just like the idea that someone out there is named Bram); Gort has a tale of crime and punishment; A Big Fat Slob is convalescing, and we send out best wishes for a speedy recovery; Bernie O'Hare on a community policing proposal in Lehigh County; PSoTD wants to know why someone thinks Facebook is worth $15 million; Suburban Guerrilla on Philly's tradition of "street money"; PAWatercooler on the state's plan for Willow Grove Naval Air Station; Crooks and Liars on McCain apparently giving up on his mortgage reform plan (which is easy when you don't really want the government to do anything); Kevin Drum on China-bashing; Powerline on Bill Clinton for the defense; The Weekly Standard on the case for Colombia; Michelle Malkin is less-than-thrilled by McCain's change of heart on mortgage reform; Fishbowl DC has this morning's front pages; Yeas and Nays on Miss D.C.'s chances in the Miss USA contest, and James Wolcott is scaring us a little this morning.On The Capitol Ideas iPod This Morning.Though we know it is considered hopelessly uncool in some quarters to cop to liking dance-pop artist Moby, we can't help but have a soft spot in our flinty little heart for him. We're particularly excited by the advance buzz surrounding his new record, a concept LP chronicling a night out in NYC. So, we're going back to the vault for his 2002 hit, "We Are All Made Of Stars."

Friday's Gratuitous Hockey Link.The NHL play-offs are officially underway, and, alas, our beloved Carolina Hurricaneswill be watching from the sidelines for the second, straight season. The 'Canes finished two points shy of winning their division, thus putting them out of play-off contention. Team officials are now mulling the future of Coach Peter LaViolette.

That's it for this week. Remember to check Pennsylvania Avenue for your daily dose of primary news. Have a good weekend, everyone.